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Independence Day
 
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Independence Day (Paperback)

by Richard Ford (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (7 Aug 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0747585245
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747585244
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 71,202 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #8 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > F > Ford, Richard

Product Description

Review
'It is nothing less than the story of the twentieth century itself an extraordinary epic' The Times 'The best novel out of America in many years, a funny, achingly sad account of a father's disastrous outing with his son - and much else besides Simply, a masterpiece' John Banville, Guardian 'Ford's mature prose style, with its long, sinuous, lavishly articulate sentences, is now one of the glories of modern American writing' Jonathan Raban, Observer 'My novel of the year is Independence Day, the unexpectedly symphonic sequel to The Sportswriter, which is coming to be seen as the landmark American novel of the decade' Gordon Burn, Independent

John Banville, Guardian
`The best novel out of America in many years ... Simply, a
masterpiece'

See all Product Description

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Independence Day
82% buy the item featured on this page:
Independence Day 3.8 out of 5 stars (9)
£5.99
The Sportswriter
7% buy
The Sportswriter 3.7 out of 5 stars (12)
£5.99
The Bascombe Novels
4% buy
The Bascombe Novels
£11.89
The Lay of the Land
4% buy
The Lay of the Land 3.8 out of 5 stars (15)
£6.39

 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Ford's lyrical sequel to 'The Sportswriter', 11 Sep 2004
By Mr. W. James Mcateer "jim.mcateer@bigfoot.com" (Ilford, Essex UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Independence Day (Paperback)
Check your pulse if you fail to surrender to the evocative opening to this novel. Frank Bascombe, ex-"Sportswriter", now a middling success at real estate agency in New Jersey, attempts to connect with his anomic son from a failed marriage. Undertaking to improve his 'connection' via a misguided jock's trip though various sporting museums, the truthfulness of this relationship is counterpointed by some less convincing portraits of the new women in Bascombe's life. Mere details - the novel has a wonderful, down-home American drawl and rhythm that defies criticism. Unhestitatingly recommended.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Luminous, 28 Jan 2001
By A Customer
The sequel to The Sportwriter, Indepenence Day is better still and a worthy Pulitzer Prize winner. Frank Bascombe's story continues with his teenage son experiencing some psychological problems due probably to the trauma of his brother's death and his parent's marriage breakup. This however is not a downtrodden situation, but one luminous with hope and tenderness. Frank shows that you don't have to be a winner to contribute to humanity and that some failure may be valuable in trying to achieve a state of grace. This book will become a classic.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary novel about living in the world, 21 Jan 2002
By A Customer
This is an extraordinary book, about what it is to be alive. Ford's sheer level of skill in using the language is a delight; reading "Independence Day" will make you love words for themselves and where they can take you. The action occupies little more than a weekend, but encompasses an epic spiritual journey, told with pace, humour, and the razor-sharp observations of people, places and emotions. Everything about the narrator, Frank, his interior life and his external world, is touchably, touchingly real, and draws you inexorably into the novel from the very first page. The suburban setting and the ordinariness of [most of] the events makes Ford's handling of abstract ideas and huge issues of life, love and belief, utterly compelling and deeply moving.

Ford's most striking - and unusual - achievement in "Independence Day" is the astonishing compassion with which he treats characters, story and theme. There are no grotesques, no stereotypes, no over-simplifications; the author takes no intellectual, emotional or linguistic shortcuts. This is a rich book, honest, entertaining, satisfying, and ultimately profoundly optimistic. Don't be put off by the length!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars more of the same
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the sequel to The Sportswriter, Independence Day is more of the same, only more so. Read more
Published 1 month ago by William Jordan

4.0 out of 5 stars `Realty' and realism: the inner life of Frank Bascombe
I've just completed Richard Ford's Pulitzer Prize-winning `Independence Day', and I have to admit it left me a bit cold. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Demob Happy

3.0 out of 5 stars You feel for the guy, but don't understand him
I read the Sportswriter, and thought it was a 4-star book. The sequel tells about the Independence Day weekend a few years later, when Frank Bascombe has settled more into his... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2005 by Deksels

1.0 out of 5 stars I must be in a minority here...
Reading all these glowing reviews made me wonder whether I'd read the same book. I bought this on the strength of a few reviews, and good things that I'd heard about The... Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Ford's lyrical sequel to "The Sportswriter"
Check your pulse if you fail to surrender to the evocative opening to this novel. Frank Bascombe, ex-"Sportswriter", now a middling success at real estate agency in New... Read more
Published on 10 Jan 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars A book about men, but not solely a men's book...
Ford is in many ways a wiser, sharper and more profound version of Nick Hornby, and someone who writes like a poet not a journalist. Read more
Published on 27 April 1999

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